Corner-iron for vehicle-bodies.



Unire WILLIAM YV. RICHARDS, OF FREMONT, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE SHAYLER, OF SAME PLACE.

CORNER-IRON FOR VEHICLE-BODIES.

SPEGIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 666,355, dated January 22, 1901.

Appiimion filed Aprilzo, 1898. salaire. 678,288. (Numan.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

le it known that I, WILLIAM W. RICH- ARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fremont, in the county of Maha-ska and State of' Iowa, have invented a new and useful Corner-Iron for Vehicle-Bodies, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to bodies for vehicles, and more particularly to corner-irons therefor, the object of the invention being to provide corner-irons which while neat and tasty in appearance will firmly bind the sides, ends, lloor, and sills together and greatly strengthen and stiften the entire body, thereby econoinizing by lengthening the life of the structure.

lWith this object in view my invention consists in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and afterward speciiically pointed out in the appended claims.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention most nearly appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a buggybody provided with corner-irons constructed. in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of one of my cornerirons detached. Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view through one corner of the body above the floor on the line 3 3 of Fig. 4, looking downward. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View through one of the ends of the body on a plane parallel with and a short distance from the side, looking toward the side. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the iloor omitted and the sills and corner-iron slightly parted.

Like numerals of reference mark the same parts wherever they occur in the different figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l0 and 11 indicate the sides, 12 and 13 the front and rear ends, 14 the floor or bottom, and 15 and 16 the side and end sills, of a buggy boX or body. The sills in this instance are located under the door, and the sides and ends of the boX are carried down until their lower edges are flush with the lower edges of the sills. The sills, Hoor, sides, and ends are all connected together at'each corner by a corneriron 17, the principal subject-mattei' of this invention. This corner-block will preferably be cast of malleable iron and may have its outer corner or edge square, as shown at 18 in Figs. l, 2, and 3, or rounded off, as shown at 19 in Fig. 5. From the main body of each corner-piece two flanges 20 and 21 project at 6o right angles to each other, and when the blocks are in position in the boX these flanges are inside, while outside are two flanges 22 and 23 parallel with the flanges 20 and 2l, but not so wide, and separated from said flanges by grooves 24 and 25, into which are fitted the ends of the boards composing the sides 10 and 11 and ends 12 and 13 of the box.

In the detail Figs. 3, 4, and 5 the left hand forward corner of the boX is illustrated, and 7o as a consequence the side 11 and front end l2 are the parts engaged in the grooves 24 and 25 ofthe corner-iron in these figures. At the bottom of the corner-iron and formed integrallytherewithisahorizontal flange26,which passes under the boards-composing the sides and ends of the box, and projecting farther inward than the Width of these boards serves to support the junction of the side and end sills 15 and 16 at each corner. In the partiou- 8o lar corner illustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5, as before stated, and which illustrations show but duplicates of the corresponding parts of the other corners, the flange 2O of the corneriron is secured to the side board l1 by bolts 85 27, 28, and 29, provided with suitable nuts, while the end board 12 is secured to the ilange 21 by bolts 30, 31, and 32, also provided with suitable nuts inside of the box, all of these bolts being countersunk into the outer sur- 9o face of the side and end boards to permit of giving a proper finish to the outside thereof. The screws 33 pass through suitable openings in the end board 12 and ilange 21 and into the sill 15, while a similar screw 34 passes through 95 the side board 1l and flange 20 into the sill 16, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. A

bolt 35 passes through the floor, the sill l5, and the ilange 26 of the corner-iron and is secured underneath the sill by a suitable nut, While a roo similar bolt 36 passes through the floor, the sill 16, and flange 2b and is also secured by a suitable nut below the sill. l

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that by the use of my improved corneriron the sides and ends of the buggy or other vehicle box are securely fastened to each other and to the oor and sills, the whole structure being stiffened and strengthened, and accidental loosening` or displacement by ordinary wear and tearis rendered impossible.

The corner-iron may be cheaply made and its construction is such that it may be easily and quickly secured in position, reducing the cost of labor in fitting` up the box and producing an infinitely superior article to such boxes constructed without corner-irons.

Vhile I have illustratedand described what I now consider eilicient means for carrying ont my invention, I do not 'wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact details of con-J struction shown and described, but. hold that such slight changes or Variations as might suggest themselves to the ordinary mechanic would properly fall within tbe limit and scope of my invention.

Having thus `fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ot' the United States, is-

l. As a new article ot' man n factu re,a corn eriron for vehicles, comprisinfra central portion and a base portion, the central portion being provided with two sets of parallel wings eX- tending laterally therefrom at right angles to each other, the wings of each set being spaced lfrom each other and the inner wing of each set being Wider than the outer set and perforated, and the base extending upon both sides oi the inner wing, the outer edges being at the inner walls of the outer wings and the inner portion being smooth and perforated.

2. As a new article of manufact nre,a corneriron for vehicles, comprising a body portion formed with two sets of vertical]ydisposed parallel wings, said sets being spaced from each other and the inner set being of greater width than the outer set and perforated, and a base-lange connecting the wings of the inner set and extendinl beyond the outer faces thereof and terminating at the inner faces of the outer set of wings, forming shoulders' to support the lower edges of the side pieces ot' the Vehicle-body, said base-flange being perforz'tted, substantially as described.

YVILLIAM W. RICHARDS.

Witnesses:

L. L. BYRAM, L. L. MCFALL. 

